Desire
by NoteBookAddict
Summary: Sakura, daughter of Duke and Duchess Haruno, fell in love high her coachman Naruto after returning from Paris. However, living in 1894 Victorican London will not make her secret love affair easy. Especially not with the arrival of Sasuke, a rich gentleman from the rising city of New York who seems to have taken a liking to Sakura. SaskuSaku or NaruSaku, which one will she choose?
1. The gentleman arrives

**Beta: Raven and Writing Desks**

A cold breeze drifted through the thin wooden walls of the barn. It made its way through the dusty air towards the sleeping couple and tickled their noses. Slowly, the female opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. There she was, in her favourite spot in the world. It was not, as most girls of her class would think, her ornate receiving room, nor was it her trimmed rose-bush garden, nor her soft goose feather bed. It was the small attic of the horse barn that sat at the side of her family's town house.

The five-story white-stone town house rose high into the capital's sky and looked over the royal Hyde Park. It was a mere twenty-minute walk from Buckingham Palace and stood in the centre of London's fashionable upper-class circle. It was, after all, the pride of the Haruno family and had been for decades past.

The Haruno's were near the top of society's totem pole, being loosely related to the royal family themselves. Duchess Haruno regularly entertained the wealthiest guests from England's finest bloodlines and even a few from the growing nation of America. She was a known beauty and was often seen in the company of Countess Yamanaka and Countess Hyuuga, two other fine society wives. However, none could say that the Duchess Haruno held more than half the beauty of her only daughter.

Lady Sakura Haruno had recently come into society that spring of 1894, a little late by some standard considering that she was already seventeen but the fact was widely accepted due to her year-long trip to Paris. In her time away, Lady Sakura had become almost fluent in the romantic language of French and learned many of the fine arts that were popular in the country. She had missed the coming-out of many of her friends, including her best friend Lady Ino Yamanaka, and even the arrival of new well-bread families from New York. However, none of this was what the young lady missed most. It was not the parties nor the boat races nor the walks in the pleasant park. All of these things she had found an equal for in Paris. The thing she had missed most was the smile of her family's coachman and secret crush, the orphan Naruto Uzumaki.

Relaxing, Sakura remembered the events last night that had led her to waking up in the bare arms of her blonde coachman. The pair had met secretly at unthinkable hours, after the rest of household fell asleep, since her arrival from Paris.

It had started innocently at first. The pair would sit up late by candle light, talking about adventures and dreams for the future. Sakura had often noted a hint of blush in his cheeks whenever she moved closer and felt assured by this. Then, one day, without warning, Naruto had leaned over Sakura, pinning her to a pile of straw and pressed his lips firmly against hers. They met up nearly every night after this, but last night was different. Last night, they went further than an innocent kiss.

"I love you." Naruto had said. The orange light of the flickering flame danced across his soft features, creating a glow to shine over him. The girl did not reply. She couldn't, for no words presented themselves on her lips.

Sakura did, however, move closer and kiss the boy like she had many times before.

Moving his rough hands to her arms, he had pushed her down on the blanket below. Sakura had moved her tongue in time with his and felt his hands roam over her body, sending ecstatic shivers down her spine. The hands had moved with purpose, finding their way to the hem of her night-gown and slipped under. A shock had shot through Sakura and she gasped with astonishment. Groaning delicately, she arched her back in pleasure as Naruto's fingers massaged her insides.

It did not take long after that until she had found herself staring at his naked form, and watching him stare back at hers. After a reassuring nod, Naruto had pressed his hips into Sakura's and ground them back and forth. It hurt at first, like a hot iron rod, but it had gotten better. Shortly after, Sakura had found herself moving with him and enjoying the closeness of his body.

Reluctantly, she pulled away from the sleeping Naruto and after replacing her nightgown, crept back into the house and up to her room. She vaguely remembered her mother saying something about a very important ball tonight and did not want to be found absent when her maid came to fit her dress.

...

"He should be here tonight!" cried the excited voice by Sakura's left ear, pulling her out of her day-dream.

"Who should?" she replied, only mildly interested. This gained a raised eyebrow from her blonde friend.

Sakura and her friend Ino were walking with arms linked around the side of the Nara's grand ballroom. It was a spectacular room, though not as brilliant as the many Haruno rooms, with polished marble floors and mint wallpaper lined with gold leaf. The Egyptian silk curtains covered the floor-to-ceiling windows allowing the room to be lit only by the shining glow of the cut glass lamps instead of the twinkling stars outside. As they strolled, the Indian red skirt of the pinkette's bow-covered gown churned with the soft violet and pearl-covered of the blonde's. Sakura couldn't help but think that if Ino were waring such a paler colour than her usual, she must have been trying to impress someone new and important.

"The new gentleman from New York! The _un-married_ gentleman" she explained with a wink.

_This must be the reason for her unexpected wardrobe choice_, Sakura pondered. She had always thought Ino would end up married to either Lord Choji Akimachi or Lord Shikamaru Nara because their three families were so close. Apparently, Ino disagreed. Or maybe this was just the uncontrollable need Ino possessed to flirt with anything that had ears.

The blonde continued to speak. "He's ever so handsome! I saw him enter the Richmond Hotel just this morning. And I've heard he's filthy rich. Something with a family tragedy that left him as the owner of several high functioning businesses and the soul heir to his family's wealth. He's quite the catch!"

It was true that the gossip Ino acquired was usually correct but Sakura also knew her to exaggerate on occasion. Before the two could continue their conversation, a tall figure stepped into the paths.

"Excuse me," the white haired, well-dressed form of Sir Kakashi Hatake said. He was significantly lower in rank than everyone else in the room but the higher nobility had accepted him into their circle due to his excellent work as a knight and that the Queen herself favoured him. "But may I have this dance with Lady Sakura?" The knight regularly asked Sakura to dance at balls so she accepted graciously and began to waltz around the room. The pair engaged in small talk in which Kakashi complemented the lady on her beautiful dress and curled hair.

After taking a spinning turn, Ino showed up in Sakura's vision. She pointed enthusiastically towards the entrance and when Sakura turned to follow her friend's indication, she gasped. Standing by the wide oak doors stood a tall, raven-haired man. His face was turned away to greet the nearby people who seemed to be gravitating towards him but when he turned in her direction, she saw just how much Ino had under-exaggerated.

That was a first.

**A/N: The situation of Sakura and Naruto was inspired by the Luxe series but this sorry will not be like that. Also, I don't know that much about British titles and nobility so please don't be mad if I got something wrong! (Dukes and Duchesses are above Earls and countesses which puts Sakura's family higher than the others mentioned so far). I hope you liked it!**


	2. Lost in onyx eyes

**Beta: Raven and Writing Desks**

"Lady Sakura?"

A distant voice echoed through the pinkette's mind.

"Lady Sakura?"

Tearing her eyes away from the enchanting man on the opposite side of the ballroom, Sakura looked up to see a concerned Kakashi looking down at her.

"Are you alright? You've gone quite pale," he observed.

"Oh yes," Sakura replied, feeling the colour flood back into her cheeks. "I'm just a little dizzy, maybe I should sit down for a bit."

Being the perfect gentleman, Sir Kakashi led her towards an unoccupied couch placed strategically by the far wall so that one could observe the dancing couples without the view of the entrance being blocked.

How convenient.

…

Sakura had watched the raven-haired man dance with numerous women. First there had been Lady Hinata, who had been ushered towards him by her advantageous mother. She'd blushed the whole way though and barely said a word to him before fainting on the spot when he'd moved his hand too low on her back. Sakura hoped that had been an accident of his.

Then, he had danced with Lady Tenten, up until her betrothal, Lord Neji, stole her away when she appeared to be having too much fun. There had also been Lady Temari, who'd spent more time exchanging wicked grins with Lord Shikamaru than time looking at her dance partner, and, of course, Sakura's best friend Lady Ino. There had been other women too, all blushing as their pastel coloured skirts swept around the man's dark navy trousers. However, Sakura couldn't help but notice that the raven-haired man returned none of their enthusiasm. He simply stared at the walls and ceiling whilst making small talk.

That was before he'd noticed Sakura. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but she could have sworn she'd seen a hint of interest in his eyes.

He was now talking to Countess Nara who, no doubt, must have been pointing out the different features of her magnificent ballroom. The Countess had no daughters so Sakura couldn't think what her apparent interest in the young man could be for. Perhaps her husband hoped to make a business deal with him.

Suddenly, she nodded towards the pinkette and whispered something into the dashing man's ear. Sakura felt a shiver run down her back as his dark onyx eyes locked on to hers. Within seconds, the pair had moved over to where Sakura sat.

"Countess Nara," she said, whilst standing up to give a polite curtsy, "What a lovely event tonight has been."

"Why thank you!" she replied with a proud smile. "Lady Sakura, have you met Mr. Uchiha yet?"

Sakura shook her head and replied that she hadn't.

"Oh what a shame! This is Mr. Sasuke Uchiha of New York City. He's come to London for one of his business branches." She turned to the man, "Mr. Uchiha, this is Lady Sakura Haruno, the only daughter of Duke and Duchess Haruno."

Silence fell on the three after Mister Uchiha and Sakura exchanges greetings.

"Lady Sakura," Mister Uchiha said when the tension had grown too high. "Would you like to dance?" He said, offering his hand.

Sakura took it and was glad that neither of her parents were there to see her cheeks turn the same shade as her dress. Her father was away to visit another duke in York and would not be back for another week. Her mother had said that she'd felt too sick to go to the ball that night, but had assured Sakura that she would be fine by morning.

As the pair waltzed to the sound of Tchaikovsky, Sakura grew ever conscious of Mr. Sasuke's hand on her back and the closeness of his chest to hers. She also felt him grow more and more tired of her as the dance went on.

"Mr. Uchiha," she finally said, "do you like it here in London so far?"

"Hn… the weather is not the best," he managed to say, all the time looking over Sakura's head. After a few more moments he spoke again, in his bored voice, which gave Sakura the feeling that he couldn't wait for the song to end. "I couldn't imagine living in the same city for the rest of my life. Especially not in the cold rain."

"Oh I know what you mean," she responded, happy for the new conversation, "I want to travel the world. Maybe go to India or China to climb a mountain or swim in the warm ocean or…" the pinkette trailed off when she realised that her partner was staring at her in shock.

This was the first real emotion she'd seen him wear all night.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sasuke. I spoke too much." She said, hoping her mistake would not cost too much. Anyway, it didn't matter if this man liked her or not, nothing would ever come of it.

Sakura found herself wishing that the man holding her in a suit had blonde hair instead of dark blue. She wished he had big, round, blue eyes and that he would lean close to her ear and whisper something to make her laugh.

"It's alright. Please, call me Sasuke."

The kind words pulled Sakura out of her daydream and bought her eyes up to Sasuke's. All thoughts of Naruto fled her and she found herself lost in a world of ravens and American accents.

How peculiar this new feeling was. It was like nothing the pinkette had ever felt before.

…

Ino sat on the corner of Sakura's ruby-red bed sheets. This would not be an acceptable event for most people but Sakura had known the blonde for as long as she remembered and the two of them were like sisters.

Sakura sat up straighter in her night gown and pulled her pink braid over her shoulder. Perhaps she'd misheard her friend's news. It was true that she'd drunk a little too much champagne after her dance with Sasuke and had even started seeing things.

She had seen two wine glasses, one with a lipstick stain, in the main receiving room but this could not have really happened because her mother was sick and so incapable of seeing anyone in her fathers absence. Sakura had also seen Naruto's head disappear from behind her bedroom door but surely he would not risk coming to her room, even if it had been late at night.

However, this time she'd not missed anything, Ino said repeated exactly what she'd said before.

"Shikamaru and I are engaged! He asked me last night after you and mostly everyone else left."

The news confused Sakura. She'd been sure that Ino and Lord Shikamaru had always been just friends without a single romantic spark between them.

"Is this a good thing?" she asked, just to be sure.

Ino gave her a serious look. "I wasn't sure at first. But this is surely going to be good for both of out families. And Shika is a wonderful man; I get on very well with him. Not to mention he's very popular with the other society women _and_ the press. So yes, this is a good thing."

"Well then," Sakura grinned, "I'm so happy for you!"

"As my maid of honour should be!"

The two girls collapsed into each other's arms and launched in excitement over flower arrangements and gown fabrics. However, Sakura couldn't shake an uneasy feeling. Not over Ino, but over the idea of her own future marriage. She'd been certain for quite some time that there was only one man good enough for her. But now, with the memory of onyx eyes, she was not so sure.

**A/N: I hope you like this new chapter! I'm really getting into the story so watch out for lots of drama, romance, and scandals to come ;)**


	3. A second confession

Sakura held up the hem of her rose night-gown as she climbed down the abandoned staircase at the back of the town house. It had used to be the servants staircase but, with the Haruno's family position and wealth, even the workers had had their quarters upgraded and expanded. Now, it made the perfect secret route for Sakura to take to the coach house.

When she reached the barn, the pinkette slowly pushed the doors open with her pearl-smooth hand and slipped inside.

"Naruto?" She called out softly.

A shuffling noice came from the other side of the barn, where the blonde normally slept.

"Sakura. You finally came."

The voice was quiet but Sakura could still hear the desperation it held. Ino had taken up so much of her time that the pinkette had not managed to see Naruto for three days.

As she moved closer to she shadows, a broad hand reached out to her. Sakura grasped it, letting her fingers brush the familiar texture of his rough skin.

Without any warning, the hand pulled Sakura into the darkest of shadows. She flew through the air, unable to stop herself, and just as she thought she might never find ground again, Sakura landed against a warm chest. Strong arms embraced her, holding her tightly but not in a way to suffocate her, as a gust of warm breath fluttered over her neck.

It had always been this way. Naruto was a strong man but he always treated the pinkette like a rare china doll.

After a moment, Sakura realised just how heavily her companion was breathing.

"Naruto," she murmured, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He replied. "Nothing now that you're here."

The mix of relief and anxiety in his voice reminded the young lady of the face she had hallucinated peering around her door on the night of the party.

…

The melting candles that lined the small sleeping space at the back of the barn were now casting their warm glow over the room. Sakura lay back on the worn down mattress and pulled Naruto's coarse blanket over her shoulders. It was not the comfiest thing in the world but as Sakura watched the blond rummage through his draws, she decided that she could live with it.

"Found it!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura felt a grin spread over her face as he held up a small bottle of gin. She knew that it couldn't be anything special but Naruto seemed so pleased with himself that it didn't matter. It was almost as if his youthful happiness had diffused through the room and engulfed her.

"To Lady Ino and Lord Shikamaru!" he cheered as he poured the brown liquid into two cups and held one high.

The Pinkette's smile fell from her face.

"I hope they'll be happy." She muttered.

Ino had always been there for Sakura. She'd been there when Sakura felt lonely or sad and had always found a way to bring joy back into life. Sakura wanted to be excited for her friend, she wanted to watch her friend smile grow more each day but she couldn't shake an uneasy feeling. Perhaps it was the lack of love she saw in the engaged couple. Not family love, she saw that in them each day, but romantic love. The love she and Naruto shared. Or at least, seemed to share.

Sakura took a sip of the gin. A fiery sensation ran down her throat, causing her to grimace.

"Hey, S-Sakura," Naruto stuttered, "what do you think of being married?"

Shocked by the sudden change of atmosphere, the young lady look up to meet the blonde's eyes before letting her gaze fall to the blanket.

"Well um…"

"Sakura." Came a small whisper.

"I've never really thought so seriously…"

"Sakura."

"I think that the couple should be completely…"

"Sakura."

"It's just that-"

"Sakura, stop." The whisper finally commanded. "You don't need to say anything. It's ok."

Sakura looked up to Naruto again.

"I love you." He said.

…

Sakura didn't know what had made her feel so queazy. Naruto had confessed to her before but this time she'd felt more distant than the last.

Quickly, the Pinkette stood up and started pacing around her four-poster bed. She didn't know what to feel or how to act. The knowledge that she felt strongly for Naruto was imprinted into her mind and she'd often imagined herself becoming his wife, but there was something else nothing her. Something that stopped her from being able to fully understand her feelings. Something with raven hair…

_How do you know when you are in love?_

The thought made Sakura stop still in her tracks.

Love. Could it be that she already felt this?

Sakura had left the barn shortly after the blonde's unannounced confession. He'd held her tight and kissed her lips. It had felt right but at the same time, it hadn't.

"Do I love him?" She wondered to herself.

Resuming her fast pace, Sakura begin to further think out loud.

"I could love him. He makes me feel happy. That's what love is, isn't it? Feeling at ease and comfortable. Wanting to hold him. Wanting to be held by him. That must be love, right?"

Folding her left arm over her chest and pinching her lower lip with her other, she stood still and thought hard, trying to process every thought.

"That's it!" She finally exclaimed, slapping the side of her fist into the other palm, "I love him!"

"Love who?" came an amused voice from beside her open window.

Shrieking, Sakura span around. Before she could identify the owner of the voice, the dark figure had moved across the room to her in one step and closed his hand over her mouth.

"Hush." He whispered.

With her heart thumping faster than the weeks of a steam train, the pinkette looked up. She did not recognise him at first, for the dark night already concealed most of his dark form. However, after staring a few more moments, Sakura managed to pick out the loose locks of midnight blue hair and the perfectly sculpted cheekbones that belonged to Mister Uchiha. No, to Sasuke.

"What are you doing here?" she asked when the man finally moved his hand.

"The night of the ball," Sasuke said, taking a long look over Sakura. "I forgot something."

At this moment, the young lady became painfully aware that she was wearing nothing more than her thin night-gown. And it was a cold night.

Before Sakura could question Sasuke or even move her arms to cover herself, he swooped downward and grasped Sakura. The kiss was long and electric, but ended all too soon. After one last look from Sasuke, he turned and climbed back out of the window, leaving Sakura alone and confused.

_I love him?_

**A/N: First, I'd like to apologise. The person I would have asked to beta read this is on holiday so there might be some typos or continuity errors.  
This chapter was interesting for me to write, as I wanted to show the growing relationships of both pairings. Sakura will choose one man in the end but it might not be the one you think ;) I hope you enjoyed it!  
Also, I might not upload for a few weeks as I have exams next month but I will try my best.**

**Ah so some people now think that Sakura will end up with Sasuke because of my comment above but I would just like to clarify that that may or may not be the case. I actually have two alternative endings planned and do not know which one I will use yet. I am leaning towards one of them but I won't say which one. Anyhow, you can route for Sasuke or Naruto, either man has an equal (well, more or less equal) chance of being chosen at this point. The ending could be surprising for you, you will have to read to find out :D**


	4. An unexpected guest

It was not till the following wednesday that Sakura allowed anyone but her maid to enter her room. She'd locked all of her windows and pulled the heavy curtains over them. Unfortunately, this did also mean that the wonderful view of the park from her favourite bay window was hidden from her all week. But it was a necessity. Sakura couldn't allow anyone to see her in this confused and embarrassed state. It simply just wasn't lady like. Nor could she come up with a good reason for why a cherry blush spread over her cheeks every time a certain person's name was mentioned.

However, today Sakura knew that she could do nothing when the Duchess Haruno rushed into her room in the late morning carrying several dress boxes and a concerned look on her face.

"Sakura dear, you must try these on now. Surely you've recovered already?"

A faint needle of guild pricked Sakura's heart. It was the first time she'd ever out-rightly lied to her mother but it had been justified; being sick was the only reason for a society girl to spend a week in her room without seeing anybody but the help.

"Anyway," Duchess Haruno continued without waiting for an answer, "it's Lady Ino's engagement dinner tonight so we must pick a splendid dress for you to ware. To think that Countess Yamanaka could marry off her daughter before me!"

Sakura loved her mother. She loved her more than words could express, but she also knew that Duchess Haruno was a prideful woman who cared greatly of how the rest of the upper-class London society viewed her.

"I will have to find you a husband soon." The lady dressed in creme taffeta with her nose pointed to the sky said. "Perhaps Sir Hatake or Lord Rock Lee, I've heard through the grapevine that both of those fine men have set their eyes on you."

Sakura found the idea of this, especially when accompanied with a wink from her mother, a little distressing.

Oblivious to her daughters unease, Duchess Haruno chuckled to herself. "'Through the grapevine'. What a funny new phrase! Oh! And theres that New York man. No nice title like us, of course but I've heard he's a fine gentleman and very rich too. What's his name? Mister Uchi-?"

"Sasuke." Sakura let the name slip from her lips before she could stop herself. Hot pink flushed over her face as she recalled the events of a week ago and Sakura resorted to burying her head into her goose-feather duvet.

"Oh? First name basis? How quaint." Came a voice from the other side of the bed that seemed to be carrying a mix of amusement, excitement, and scheming, all masked by a thin layer of disapproval.

…

Sakura made her way down the curved marble stairs and into the entrance foyer. She'd endured a whole morning of trying on various dresses and her mother had finally let her settle on a rose gold coloured dress with a cherry sash around the midriff. As usual, the dress was taylor made to fit Sakura's dainty body like a glove and she had to admit that it did look good on her. Too bad that neither a sandy-haired man nor a raven-haired man would be seeing her in it; the party was just for close family and friends of the new couple and Ino had sent her own carriage to pick them up. Although, this wasn't really a bad thing; the pinkette had spent the past week trying to avoid both men.

At the bottom of the steps, Sakura gave a twirl of relief at the thought of a stress-and-drama-free night. No proposals of love, no secret kisses, no hidden flirtation. On occasion the latter two could be fun but not tonight. Not when Sakura felt so confused, and not to mention confused about being confused.

"Oh Sakura," her mother called as she reached the front door, "Ino sent a note earlier to say that her horse fell ill and so she cannot send a carriage. We'll be driven by the stable boy today.

Naruto.

Sure enough, when the pinkette opened the large door to the outside world, her lover was standing in front of her, holding open the shiny black carriage door and bowing slightly. The lover that, only a week ago, asked how she felt about marriage. The lover that she left without answering and kissed another an after. The lover that she hadn't seen since.

…

The ride to Ino's was long and quiet. Naruto was outside of the carriage booth but Sakura could still feel the tension between them, even through the wooden walls.

When they arrived at the Yamanaka household, the late evening sun was already setting behind the London trees, casting long shadows over the gravel driveway. The Count and Countess Yamanaka did not live directly next to the royal Hyde park but still close enough to see the taller trees.

After her mother had been helped out of the carriage and had started towards the grand front doors, Sakura began to descent the steps.

"Miss Sakura." Naruto said with a polite smile and offered out his hand.

Sakura took it but as soon as she did, the blonde pulled her quickly into his arms.

_What is he doing?_ Screamed Sakura internally. This was not acceptable behaviour for a London society lady and her coach/stable boy at all.

"Sakura you worry me." He whispered into her ear. "You've been acting so strange since the night of the Nara's ball. And then you stayed in the house all week! Are you ok?" Suddenly, Naruto's face became pale. "You're not… I mean we're not…"

Painfully aware of what Naruto meant, the lady quickly replied "I'm not pregnant, no. I'm completely fine. Let go of me!"

Before a wave of relief flooded the mans face, Sakura cold have sworn she saw a look of disappointment. He then let the pinkette go.

"Thank you for catching me. If you had not done so when I slipped on the step, I would have surely fallen to the floor." Sakura said loudly incase anyone had witnessed their little scene.

Bowing, Naruto released Sakura's hand.

"Don't be a stranger." He joked in a barely audible voice and winked from beneath the messy blonde locks that had escaped from his 'special occasion' slicked hairdo.

…

"Ino!" Sakura cried as she embraced her best friend at the Yamanaka's front door.

"I'm so glad that you're better!" The blond announced. "Although you do look a bit flushed. Are you okay?"

Sakura lifted her pale hand to her cheek in a poor attempt to hide her feeling. Behind her, Naruto had climbed back onto the carriage and was riding out of the drive way but his words were still fresh in the pinkette's mind.

"Oh I'm fine, really. Just the wind."

Ino beamed back at her friend. "Well that's great news! Now that I have my made of honour back this wedding might actually get somewhere. It was absolute torture trying to plan it on my own. And my mother is trying to get me to wear her old dress. I know it's traditional but that thing really is ghastly. And it would be such a wast to wear ivory instead of white on my wedding day!/"

As the two friends talked about dress colours and shapes, they began to walk towards the dining room. As the occasion was an engagement party thrown by the brides family, only close friends and family were invited. However, due to Countess Yamanaka's wish to climb even further up the social totem pole, this meant that half of London's elite were invited.

"Lady Sakura!" Cried a young man with a terribly unfashionable black bowl cut and for too bushy eyebrows. "It's been too long since we last met."

Lord Rock Lee had taken a liking to the pinkette before he had even met her. Though this widely-known fact was often the cause of embarrassment on Sakura's part, she had to admit that the boy was kind and fun to be around when the occasion was right.

"Lord Lee, how good to see you." She replied and let him kiss her hand. "How were your travels?"

"Quite good. As you know, my uncle Sir Guy is quite the fan of training camps so we traveled to beautiful cliffs of Dover for a special practice. I have learned so much since you last saw me, my Lady, perhaps I can show you one day?"

"I'm sure you have." Sakura politely replied to the young Lord's enthusiasm. "Maybe one day next week when I am less busy."

A slight tug at her sleeve told Sakura that it was time to leave this acquaintance and move into the next room.

"I really don't know how he manages to try so hard. It's not like he ever has a chance with you." Muttered the blonde.

"Ino!"

"Well it's true! Besides, I've managed to find a better guest for you to sit next to tonight." This last statement was accompanied by a meddling grin that gave Sakura an uneasy feeling. As the pinkette finally entered the dining room, she saw why.

Sitting down on one of the many velvet dining chairs that surrounded the large rectangular table next to the place with 'Lade Sakura Haruno' written on a card in swirly gold ink was none other than Sasuke Uchiha, the other man that Sakura had tried to avoid.

**Well I finally finished the chapter! I'm really sorry it took so long, but my exams are over now so hopefully I'll be able to upload more regularly. I've already started the next chapter so that should be up soon! This has not been beta read by anyone except myself so I'm so sorry if I missed any errors, thanks for reading :D**


	5. The unexpected announcement

The dinner really was as fine as the Yamanaka's had said it would be. A starter of sea food and salad was followed by roast turkey, jams with different breads, little angel cakes, several other courses, and now the entire room was sipping tea and munching on tiny biscuits. Sakura herself

had chosen a tea with dried orange and lemon pieces mixed into the leaves. However, despite the ornate tea cups and crisp snacks, she could not deny to herself that the evening was unpleasant.

As always, the small talk between old friends and acquaintances was bearable. It even sometimes became interesting when a light piece of gossip slipped from the lips of someone who had drank one too many champaign flutes. For example, the pinkette had learnt that Lord Neji had once had an eye for his cousin Lady Hinata before meeting Lady Tenten. She had also heard a whisper that Lord Choji may have spent a night or two in the company of a lowly woman, and that Lady Temari from overseas was not presently on the wedding guest list due to the sheer number of times that Sakura's best friend Lady Ino had caught her sending looks too inappropriate for public to Lord Shikamaru.

All of this was a delight to hear, though Sakura did pretend to find the references too shocking to acknowledge as a Lady of good grace should never be seen to revel in such things, and would have made the night fun had it not been for one thing. Sasuke.

The same Sasuke that had kissed her in her night-gown only the week before.

Ghostly. If Sakura had to describe him as one thing in that moment it wold be ghostly. Throughout the long dinner, Sasuke had barely said two words to her. She could almost pretend that the raven haired man was not less that two feet to her right but, just like all phantoms, his presence constantly haunted her.

He hadn't said anything to her all night. Not one word. On one hand this made Sakura grateful that she did not have to come up with a suitable topic whilst remaining calm and collected but on the other hand it made her mad to think that the handsome gentleman would flirt with her one week and ignore her the next. No, he was not a gentleman, he was a rogue.

Ding ding ding.

Sakura looked up from her tea that had been laced with embarrassing thoughts to see Earl Yamanaka tapping the side of his glass with a fork at the head of the table.

"Ladies and gentelmen, as you all know you have been invited here tonight on this splendid evening to celebrate the engagement of my beautiful daughter Lady Ino to the honourable Lord Shikamaru."

An applause erupted from the not-so-modestly sized dining table of guests, along with a wave of polite complements.

"My family and the noble Nara family have been friends for many years. When I was a young boy, Earl Nara, Earl Akimachi, and I formed a group of friends even stronger than that of our forefathers which is why my daughter's engagement makes me even more happy as it means that our families will not just be bonded by friendship but also by marriage and someday by blood." Coos came from the women around the table, so much so that Sakura doubted even a new-born baby could have gotten any more. "Of course," the Earl joked, "we will have to find a pretty cousin for our Lord Choji too." This time the reaction from the room was happy laughter. Of course, no-one would dare to upset the father of the bride in London society, especially when he was an Earl.

"Father please stop, you are embarrassing Choji." Laughed Ino at the sight of her friend's chubby face reddening to the shade of a radish.

"Okay, okay," Earl Yamaka chuckled as he waved off his daughter's remark. "Without further ado, I present to you all the happy couple and with them all the luck in their future together."

Ino and Lord Shikamaru stood up together and bowed for the audience. They seemed immensely happy but the pinkette couldn't shake the feeling that something was not right between them. Perhaps it had something to do with the fearful look she had caught on Lord Shika's face right before it was hidden by a wide grin.

…

"You looked fabulous!" Sakura reassured her blonde friend as they walked down the entrance hall, away from the dining room, rose gold and lavender skirts swishing together behind them. Ino was hardly ever worried about her appearance, not because she didn't care but because she always believed that she looked stunning. The pinkette did not consider this to be vain, it was simply true. However, for the first night in a long time, Ino was worried that she may have looked too pale under the bright light that came from the dozens of candles at dinner.

"Really?" A look of relief crossed her best friend's face.

"Really." Sakura replied with a warm smile. "Ino, I need to use the powder room, I'll be back in a moment.

The blond waved her off as she turned the corner to the corridor that led to the nearest bathroom. Of course, Sakura new this mansion like the back of her hand, it being like her second home. Well, fifth if she counted the estates her family owned in Cornwall, Oxfordshire, and Yorkshire.

Before she could get to the powder-room, however, a hand trapped her and pulled her into the Yamanaka's second study on the ground floor.

"You know, you've really got to stop shrieking every time we meet." Laughed an unpleasantly familiar voice in reply to Sakura's initial response.

"You!" She accused at the sighed of onyx eyes and midnight hair. "_You _really have to stop jumping on me in inappropriate places. In all places, even."

The smile on Sasuke's sculpted face widened as he reached out to stoke a stray lock of pink hair.

"What?" He whispered. "You didn't like it when I came to your room?"

Sakura batted his hand away and jumped backwards as if his touch had scolded her.

"Of course I didn't! And you can't just break into_ my bedroom_ in the middle of the night!"

Slowly, Sasuke's smile faded and was replaced by a frown. "Well then I'm sorry." His voice now as hard as stone. "I thought you were different from the other girls. I thought you liked adventure. Clearly I was mistaken."

This angered the pinkette, sending a red-hot flush over her entire body.

"I do like adventure. I don't want to stay in London forever and I want to travel and help people but I do not want to be ambushed at all times of the day by someone I barely know."

Sakura knew her words must have been dripping with self-protection and hurt but at this point she didn't care one bit. How dare Sasuke, no Mr. Uchiha -because that was all he was to her, just a rude acquaintance-, judge her on her lifestyle when he was nothing more than a privileged rogue from America.

As she turned to leave, Sakura heard the same voice behind her but something was different. It sounded less agitated and more apologetic.

"Actually, I'm not sorry." This had to be the biggest oxymoron she had heard in a voice in her whole life. "I'm sorry for upsetting you but I'm not sorry for kissing you last week. I never will be."

Apparently Sakura had less will power then she thought as instead of leaving as she had planned, the pinkette found herself spinning around to look into the surprisingly honest eyes of the raven haired man.

"Sakura, I don't want to hurt you but I'm afraid I can't stay away from you. It seems I have developed an addiction to you and I know you feel the same way."

…

He had kissed her again. And again. And she hadn't resisted. The shock of Sasuke- Mr. Uchiha's words had frozen Sakura to the point that she couldn't think, much less move away. This was all she could think about as she climbed out of Ino's carriage and was let into her house

However, when the pinkette saw a pair of leather male shoes, all thoughts of the dark-haired man fled her mind. A brown jacket hung on the coat rack that Sakura knew did not belong to anyone who lived in the house. Then she heard the voiced. The distinctly recognisable voice of her mother and the husky voice of a man. A man she didn't know.

_What was happening? _Sakura wasn't sure she wanted to know.

That was when the hazy memory filled her barely conscious mind. The memory of the two used wine glasses she had seen on her way back from the Nara's ball weeks ago. Whoever was in the main receiving room with her mother had been there before.

Cautiously, Sakura walked towards the room and pushed open the door. Inside, Duchess Haruno and a man who was certainly not Duke Haruno fell silent.

"Mother. Who is this?"

"Sakura, darling." She replied in a quiet and guilty voice that was not her usual tone. "I think we need to talk."

**A/N: Having come back from holiday, I plan to be updating this story a lot more often then I have been. Again, this has not been beta read but if anyone wan't to volunteer for the next chapter, send me a pm :) It's also pretty late at the moment so I'm really sorry if I missed something when I read it over or if the chapter is inconsistent as I wrote most of it whilst watching Veronica Mars. I'll make sure to have less distractions next time.**


	6. Revelation of the truth

Sakura fell onto the plush settee behind her, though it did little to cushion her pain. How could this be correct? Surely her mother was wrong.

"Darling," Duchess Haruno continued, "I know this is a hard time but we must stay strong. We must make the most of our situation until we can find a way out of it."

A deep frown settled over emerald-green eyes.

"Find a way out of it? We? You mean until you marry me off to some rich old divorce so that you can retire in peace!"

Sakura couldn't hide her anger. She was appalled by her mother's actions. Not just her intent to sell the pinkette as little more than a slave but for keeping such a colossal secret from her 'beloved' daughter for so long.

Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Sakura almost found it funny that she had been fooled so easily. For weeks she had believed the story her mother had fed her that Duke Haruno was at the family estate in Oxfordshire, managing the grounds and buying even more shares in the railroad business. It could have easily been true. The pinkette often waved her father off on similar ventures and sometimes even went with him as a child, though she was never allowed to sit in on any meetings. However, this time was different. This time Duke Haruno had left at night without saying goodbye and his wife had relayed his message. She should have known it was a lie.

"Sakura, your father is not well! It may not be long before his heart gives out completely and then, with no male heir, all of our money will be gone! Surely you must understand?"

The eyes of her mother locked onto hers with pleading worry. Sakura could say nothing for fear of loosing her manners and crying like a new-born baby again.

"Mr Ichiraku, our accountant," Duchess Haruno waved to the suited man that her daughter had, just three hours ago, clumsily assumed to be her mother's lover, "has confirmed that if you do not marry a man of good family and fortune before your fathers untimely departure, all of our wealth- our lands, our houses, our jewels- all of it, everything your father and I worked so hard to get and everything we inherited from our own parents, will be taken from us. It is the law. Women simply can not own such things without the guidance of a man."

Blurry green eyes met the Duchess's stern ones.

"I don't care about the money." She whispered hoarsely. "My father is dying in Cornwall and you told me he was healthy and in Oxford! I've missed out on so many precious days that I could have spent with him and for what? So that you could parade me around at balls hoping that someone would just fall down on one knee and take me as their wife?"

Sakura hid her face in her open palms and wept with something close to fury.

For a moment, her mother said nothing. This would have been a comfort to Sakura in the current situation but the deadly silence only made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. And with good reason.

"Actually," Duchess Haruno began, "I have only been taking you to such balls to meet one person in the hopes that you might build a relationship with him. Your father met him at a conference meeting for expanding the influence of the British Railroad Company into the Americas. We've decided that he is a perfect match for you. Wealthy, respectable, and very handsome. It has been our wish that he fall for you in his short time here negotiating business deals."

A chill fell over the young Lady, now rising from the settee. Her mother's words were as ominous as a black cat and she felt as though she had just shattered a dozen dusty mirrors.

"Who?"

"Mr. Sasuke Uchiha."

…

Tears running down her eyes like rain drops in a thunder-storm, Sakura ran across the prickly grass at the side of her London house. She couldn't deny that vague thoughts of walking down the aisle with a certain raven-haired man waiting at the other end had not crossed her mind before but the idea of being pushed into marriage too soon and for such reasons was all together frightening. Not to mention that there was another man she couldn't allow herself to be separated from.

Without even thinking, Sakura ran and ran till she could see the silhouette of the little barn she had always managed to find comfort in whenever she felt upset. She didn't even have to search inside to find what she wanted, the blonde man had already opened the door to greet her.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked gently as he took Sakura into his arms.

"I can't do it! I can't marry someone I've just met! I can't leave you!" The pinkette sobbed after she'd explained what had happened.

As Naruto turned back to give her a glass of water, she saw a rare anger plastered onto his face. Sakura was not used to seeing him like this. She'd always known him to be happy and positive, always looking on the bright side and making jokes to lighten the mood. However, none of this appeared on him now. Naruto was mad.

"I don't believe it." He mumbled. "I can't believe that you could be mine one day and _Sasuke__'__s_ the next."

"I don't belong to Sasuke." _And I don__'__t belong to you either_, whispered a quiet voice in the back of Sakura's mind. _I don__'__t belong to anyone, I__'__m not a possession, I can make up my own mind. _She pushed the thought out of her head. A society Lady in Victorian London could not have such ideas. However much she may like them.

"Run away with me."

Stunned silent, Sakura stared at the man in front of her, unable to form any kind of word on her lips. Run away? Leave everything and everyone behind? Impossible.

"Run away with me." Naruto repeated. "I love you, Sakura. I love you more than anything so don't leave me. Run away with me."

With each word, Naruto moved closer to his lover until she could feel his sweet breath tickle her nose.

"Where will we go?" Said a distant voice that Sakura barely recognised as her own.

"Anywhere. Everywhere. So long as we are together."

Any hint of doubt in Sakura's mind was locked down by her heart. What was there to think about? She loved him. She wanted him. She needed him.

"Okay."

**A/N: It's a bit shorter than usual but I hope you liked it! Keep reading to see how Sakura's decision pans out :D**


	7. The boy she'd known for years

The chilly morning breeze brushed Sakura's luminous face as it danced past. She had set out early in the morning to place an order at her favourite tailors for a new traveling corset, socks, and skirts. These items would be necessary for her secret departure in only a few days time. It would have been sooner but the two lovers decided that they needed time to tie up loose ends and gather all important possessions. Well, Sakura needed the time for possessions, Naruto- being a coachman and not the child of a duke- had little to call his own but was kind enough to make room for the pinkette's wishes.

Strolling down the stone walkway that ran along the edge of Hyde Park, Sakura found herself drawing near a familiar road, one that she had used many times. Muscle memory kicking in, she turned the corner out of the park.

It wasn't long till the pinkette saw the cream house that belonged to her friend Ino. The sight of it made her smile. Normally, one would not visit the household that she had been invited to the previous night but this case was different. Sakura had spent days at a time at the Yamanaka house so felt no shame in calling in the morning after the engagement party.

**Slam.**

The heavy noise of an oak front door hitting it's frame echoed down the tree-lined street till it reached Sakura's ears.

_What was that?_ A glance back at Ino's house gave her the answer.

Running down the front drive way was none other than Lord Shikamaru, Ino's fiancé. The pinkette did not know the man as well as she did other young ladies her own age but she had grown up in the same social circle as him so she knew when Lord Shika wasn't acting normal. However, even if she had just met man for the first time this morning, she still would have realised that he was upset. No, not just upset, guilty. His sharp featured face was riddled with guilt and sorrow.

"Lord Shikamaru, what ever is the matter?" Sakura inquired with a soft tone.

He must have been trapped in his own bubble of thought because when the pinkette spoke, Lord Shika jumped and spun towards her.

"Just… just tell her I'm sorry."

…

At the time, Sakura had been deeply confused. Who was the 'her' to which Lord Shikamaru had referred to and why was he sorry? But it all made sense now. Sitting on Ino's lavender duvet cover, she stroked the soft blonde hair of her best friend as she tried to find any words that could be of some comfort.

"So who…" Sakura paused, unsure if her question would only make things worse. Still, the desire for a name burned strong within her. "Who was it?"

Another sob came from the head now buried into her peach skirt.

"It was that Temari girl. I've seen her flirting with Shika ever since she got here from God knows where but I always thought it was completely one-sided. Apparently they're in love. Love! Can you believe it? He's known her less than a year and now he's running off with that witch!"

Ino's cry of fury spread across the room as she slammed her fist on the springy mattress.

"Oh Ino. I'm so sorry."

Sakura reached for the abandoned tea cup that sat on Ino's bed-side-table. The warmth and smell of fresh milk indicated it had been poured just before Lord Shikamaru had come to visit.

"Here." She held it out to her friend who sat up slowly. "Drink this. It will make you feel better."

The blonde took it with a word of thanks but her eyes whined that tea could not heal her broken heart.

A moment passed.

"Did you love him?"

Ino's baby blue eyes stared at Sakura.

"Yes! No… I don't know. Well, I'd never thought of him that way before he proposed but I did love him. Maybe not romantically, though. More like family love." She sighed, taking a sip of tea. "But what will everyone say! This is a disaster. I'll be the laughing stock of London!"

A half-smile appeared on Sakura's mouth at the over-dramatic exclamation. The net few weeks would surely be hard on her friend but Ino would recover. After all, it seemed like her pride was hurt more than anything else and the pinkette had always known her to have a quick recovery in that department. Plus Ino was sure to find a new beau soon enough that would wash away all of society's pity.

"Oh Ino!" She laughed. "Something tells me you're going to be just fine."

The contagious laugh spread to her best friend.

"There's just one thing I don't understand." Ino said, the ghost her usual smile now on her face. "I know we may not have shared romantic love, but how could Shika pick the girl he'd just met over me, the girl he's known since infancy? How could anyone choose someone they'd just met over someone they'd known for years? I just don't get it."

Sakura thought to herself before giving up on the idea.

"Me neither."

…

It wasn't till Sakura had almost arrived home when the similarity between her and Lord Shikamaru's situation dawned on her.

_How could anyone choose someone they'd just met over someone they'd known for years?_

Sakura had chosen to run away with Naruto, the man she'd known since she was just a little girl running around in her baby pink cardigans. Not that it had been much of a choice. She could leave with the man she felt comfortable with or stay and be pressured into marrying the man she barely knew. The man with hair so dark it looked like a raven's wings in flight and eyes so deep one could fall into them as if they were wells…

No. Sakura couldn't think like that. Just the thought of Sasuke made her insides spin. He'd seduced her, pretending to fall for her when really he'd just been bargaining with her parents. Tried to seduce her, more like. Clearly it hadn't worked.

And besides, Naruto was the one she loved.

_More like family love._ The dark voice in the back of Sakura's mind reiterated her friends words before she pushed them out of her mind, just as she had many times before.

**A/N: Yay another chapter! Gosh they seem to be getting shorter and shorter :/ But the next few should be longer! I hope you read them too :D**


	8. Hatred forbids love

As she watered the little rose flower that sat on the windowsill in the hallway outside her bedroom, Sakura couldn't help but feel weak. Despite all of her deepest thoughts, she couldn't figure out how to solve her mother's financial problems; she couldn't think of a way she could possible keep both her love and her family; and she couldn't understand why her best friend's relationship had fallen through so easily. She couldn't do anything. For the fist time in her life, Sakura felt like a dainty little china doll that could break at any moment if handed too harshly, just like the ones she had played with in the past. But now she was the one being toyed with. Pushed and pulled and swirled around by those with the puppet strings. Those who saw her not as a human, but as a means to an end. The pinkette hated to think it but her mother, the lady she had trusted most her whole life, was one of these people. In recent months, it seems, the Duchess only saw her as an item to be sold to the highest bidder. And if her father supported this then he was just as bad. And then there was the other puppet master. The all too charming and finely trimmed raven haired rogue who had been playing with Sakura's emotions the moment he set foot onto English soil.

Sakura sighed as she laid down the child-sized white watering can. There was an answer to her problems. An answer she had already chosen: Naruto. Only Naruto. By running away with Naruto as planned, she could leave all of her worries behind and stat a new life.

A knot tightened in Sakura's throughout like a noose. She didn't know why but each day since she'd found out the truth she'd felt worse and worse, as if each day took her closer to the apocalypse.

But this was a silly thought. In fact, the truth was quite the opposite: Naruto and she were running away only tomorrow night. Freedom awaited.

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs rattled inside Sakura's head. She had tried to avoid her mother as much as possible since the night of Ino's engagement party but the only thing her efforts had taught her was that she large town house she had always called home wasn't as big as she'd previously thought. As the almost unbearable noise grew slowly louder, the berry satin clad woman strode around the corner and into Sakura's line of sight. Frowning, she looked away hoping that the Duchess wouldn't notice her or would simply ignore her. No such luck.

"Sakura, my darling, are you feeling any better today?" She asked in a soothing tone that one might easily mistake to be kind.

"No better then yesterday." Replied the pinkette, only when it became obvious that she had to. Her mother had always been like that, her ability to stare someone down into compliance was something Sakura had always found fascinating and was now one of the only family traits the strong willed girl was happy to have inherited.

"So?" The Duchess enquired, her wrinkled green eyes boring holes into Sakura's head, "Have you thought more about it?"

"About what?" Of course, she knew exactly what her mother was referring to: Sasuke. However, Sakura felt compelled to cling onto the last little bit of defiance that she could muster when directly confronted by the older version of herself. It was childish, she knew, but still she hoped to push the subject away.

Without answering, Duchess Haruno gently caressed the lace on Sakura's shoulder that ran along the neckline of her baby pink floral dress. It was the latest fashion that she had bought recently in her travels to Paris and Sakura could tell what her mother was thinking.

"This truly is a beautiful dress made for a beautiful girl. Sakura you must know that I am only thinking of you. Do you really think you could be happy without the money that has been provided for you your whole life? You are a gorgeous song bird and while you might feel contempt for your cage, it is the only cage you have ever known. Were you to ever leave it, you would find yourself lost in the wild, unable to survive. It's time you learn that that cage you feel restricts you is actually a wonderful home filled with happiness. It's where you belong. And were you to marry Mr. Sasuke Uchiha, your future within that comforting lifestyle would be assured. Don't think of him as a new set of bars, think of him as your protection from the cruel outside world."

"Mama," Came a weak and tearful voice, unable to believe it's own ears, "I am not an animal to be moved from one cage to another, I am a girl! A girl who wan't to make her own choices. I don't care about the money!"

Just like a storm moving over a churning sea, the Duchess's smile was replaced with a thunderous frown. "Don't pretend that you would hate being married to that man. I've seen the way your face reddens every time you hear his name! I've seen how you look at him when you think no-one is watching you. You might think that you can take the moral high ground by refusing to marry him but you can't deny that you have feeling for him. For gosh sakes, Sakura, half of London's good society is talking about how great a couple the two of you would make. I don't know why you are pulling back so harshly, you must be able to feel in your heart that he is different from all of the other men you know."

Sakura stared at her mother in silence, her face (just as the Duchess said) was as red as a radish. "I- I- I don't love him. I barely know him. And how can you be so sure that he would marry me even if I wanted him to?"

The questing was small, Sakura couldn't even be sure that she had said it at all, it was so unlike her.

"My darling blossom, contrary to what you might believe, your father and I didn't pick him out just for his wealth and, lets face it poppet, his ability to provide attractive grand children, we chose him because he would complement you well. Just like you, he has a startling sense of adventure and love of culture. He is reserved but loyal and kind-hearted. But most of all, I think you are the only person in the world who can reach beyond his tough exterior created by his difficult past and touch his heart. You ask how I know he will marry you and it's as you've said: he's only known you a number of weeks, yet he has already fallen for you and the more you deny it, the more certain I am that you too have fallen in love with him."

_This can't be true, can it?_

As Sakura tried to hide the horrified look on her porcelain face, a loud cough came from behind them.

"Duchess Haruno," announced the butler, "a guest has arrived asking to see Lady Sakura in private."

…

"So, did you know?"

A laugh came from the shadows of the day room that Sakura sat in, hands folded neatly on her lap in a fruitless attempt to hold down her feelings.

"Did I know that your parents wished for us to become wed when I met you? Of course I did. Wherever I go, rich mothers try to pair me with their daughters. I met you purely to humour the Duke and quickly progress the business proposal I had at the time."

Needless to say, this was not what the pinkette wanted to hear.

"I see. So I was merely a way to further your fortunes."

It could have been a trick of the light but for only an instant, Sakura thought she saw shock and hurt in the midnight eyes of Sasuke.

"That's not what I meant."

"You never really liked me," she continued, as if the raven haired man hadn't said anything, "you just wanted to ply with my emotions and have your fun before running back to America with more money then you left with. I should have realised you were no good from the moment I met you."

At the sight of Sasuke cross the room, pulled by an invisible rope, Sakura leapt up from the sofa, ready to defend herself. It was no use. Before she could even put a hand out to stop him, Sasuke pulled his companion into a warm embrace and brushed his lips against hers like a feather falling to the ground.

But, despite the gesture, she felt that he was still holding something back.

"I said that's not what I meant. Once I met you I- I know you were different. I don't know how else to explain it but… you're different from anyone else I've ever met."

The words were sweet in her ear but another thought occurred to Sakura, refusing her a moment to relax.

"Sasuke, what happened in your past? What happened to build up a wall around your heart to block people out?"

The words were short, they barely meant anything, but the arms that had previously held her gently now stiffened and released her.

"Don't ask me that again."

His eyes were closed when he said it but the second they opened, Sakura saw a change in his soul.

"You can tell me, Sasuke, if there's something that's hurting you, you can tell me."

"I told you to leave it!" The man practically shouted. The face that had only ever held mystery was now plastered with anger. "My history is private, don't speak about it again."

A cill swept though the room and the once warm atmosphere turned to ice.

_What ever could have happened to him?_

The thought gave no answers but one thing was for sure, Sakura could finally open her eyes to the man who had filled her with words and smiles.

"I apologise, I was wrong. I was wrong to ever think that you could love me. Clearly you have too much hate in your heart to allow room for love."

**A/N: Ouch. That must have hurt. Anyway, so sorry it's been almost a month since I last updated, won't happen again. I started reading a new manga and, well, you can probably guess what happened there. Dengeki Daisy anyone? Anyway, thank you so much if you actually cared enough about the story to stay with it, I'll update again soon!**


	9. A letter to change all

The letter sat against the cream china fruit bowl on the old wooden table. The corse grey envelope was sealed at the back by a balloon-shaped wax stamp and had the name "Sakura" scrawled in neat but rushed letters. Although she had never seen his handwriting before, nor did she know what his family crest looked like, Sakura had known that the letter was from Sasuke the moment she had seen it in the butler's hands.

Unable to tear her eyes away from the paper, Sakura glided towards it, then back again. Like a yoyo, she reached for it then retreated, over and over again. What was wrong with her? It was just a silly little bit of parchment, nothing to get this worked up over.

And yet, something was different.

She didn't know what it was or even why she felt it, but each time her hand almost grazed the note Sakura felt a chill run down her spine. Was it fear? Anger? Sorrow? Impossible to tell. The only thing she could be sure of was that something very serious was written on the other side of the envelope. Something that might even have the power to change the pinkette's life forever.

…

Glowing moonlight filtered through the lace curtains that covered Sakura's bedroom window and fell onto the walking boots and traveling skirts that lay abandoned on her bed. A large bag, the one with roses and hummingbirds embroidered into the light born leather, sat half empty on the floor, ready to go back into hibernation. A shadow landed on top of it as it's owner moved to the window to see the view. From here, Sakura could not see the stables that housed the sandy-haired boy but that made no difference. She could still feel his presence as if he were standing right next to her.

Leaving the room, Sakura traced the steps from previous nights that were firmly imbedded into her muscle memory. Across the corridor, down the back stairs, avoiding anything that could make even the slightest creak. Soon enough, just like many times before, she arrived in front of the large wooden doors that belonged to the family's barn.

The urge to go in, to let the inhabitant push her worries away, was strong but the girl hesitated. Could she really go through with this? Could she really leave the ones she loved behind? The idea scared Sakura but, like the strong girl she was, she knew she couldn't back out.

"Naru-" She barely managed to say before the blonde boy flung himself at her on the other side of the door. As he pulled back, the pinkette saw the pure joy sewn into his face.

"Sakura! You're here early, I didn't expect you to have finished packing until after midnight. But that just means we can leave earlier than planned."

"Well, actually…" Sakura stuttered. Could she really do this? She'd known Naruto for years but couldn't find a single phrase to make it any easier. "I haven't packed yet."

The words rolled off her tongue like a snail. They were somewhat forced but also impossible to stop.

"Oh that makes more sense!" Laughed Naruto, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere that surrounded his companion. He'd always been a little slow like that but his own glowing aura was always contagious enough to make those sound him relax before he noticed anything was wrong. However, under the dim candle light, Sakura doubted that would work tonight. "So you must have come here because you couldn't keep yourself away… Sakura you're making me blush." He taunted, ego growing by the second. "Oh wait! Isn't it bad luck to see each other before running away? Ah no, that's before getting married so we're okay."

His warm laughter tickled Sakura's heart but it didn't shake her resolve. She had to do this, she had to leave the ones she cared for most behind.

Closing her eyes, she pictured the letter in the hopes that it could give her strength.

_Dear Sakura,_

_I am sorry for how I treated you yesterday, it was wrong of me. Sakura, I think you may have been right; at the moment I do not think I can love you, at least not the way you deserve, because of my hatred. I have never told this to anyone before but I must tell you now. When I was very young I had a brother that I loved more than anyone else in the world. He was my idol, my best friend. My one true desire was to grow and become more like him. However, that all changed. I can not to go into detail but something dreadful happened, something that changed my world completely. My deepest desire now is to exact revenge on the person who destroyed my family, and took my best friend away. I do not know when or even if I will ever see you again. Do not wait for me._

_Sasuke._

"Naruto." She said firmly. "I haven't packed my bag because I can't run away with you."

For a moment, time seemed to stop. The bright cheerful mood that had previously filled the room extinguished in a puff of smoke.

"I…I don't understand." Came the confused voice of the excited Naruto. "What happened? Did I do something wrong? Because I can change it, Sakura, whatever went wrong I can fix it for you!"

The pinkette winced as the dejected determination in his voice sliced through her heart like a knife. But, however upset this made her, she knew that Naruto felt ten times worse.

"You haven't done anything, nothing at all."

"Then what happened? Why are you doing this? Tell me, Sakura!" He cried, tears welling in his eyes as Sakura stumbled for the right answer. "I love you."

Freezing, her emerald eyes darted to Naruto's sky blue ones. Her heartbeat spiked as panic filled Sakura, enabling her from making any move. There it was; the three words Naruto used most often, and the three Sakura barely uttered.

"But" Naruto continued, "you don't love me."

Sakura watched as the sudden realisation rippled through his body.

"Naruto, that's not-!" She paused. "That's not true. I can't leave with you because I have to go somewhere else. There's someone, someone struggling inside, who seems to be spiralling into a pit of darkness. I need to find him and help him. I think I might be the only one who can."

In that moment, Naruto's whole body seemed to stiffen as he murmured one single word. One jealous word that had the power to pull the pair away from each other.

"_Him_."

**A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! The next chapter (chapter 10) will be the last in part 1 of this story (so obviously will be twisty and turny). Will Naruto and Sakura be able to survive this? Will Sakura really leave him to find Sasuke? Find out later this week :D**


	10. The one who won't give up

As the morning light filtered through her window, Sakura sat on her bed, poking the rose and hummingbird embroidered bag with her toes. It had not moved from its position the night before, nor had the travelling skirts been placed inside or put away. It was all just simply on hold, waiting for the pinkette to confirm her final decision. Going back to Naruto now was out of the question, but she yearned to see his happy face again, to hear his joyous laugh once more.

Would he ever speak to her again?

If only she had said something different, done something different. Maybe he wouldn't despise Sakura the way she was sure he now did. But was there ever a good way to end such a plan as the one she and Naruto had made for the previous night? Regardless of the unknown answer, the girl now sitting sheepishly in her silk covers could only feel bad about the actions she had made just a few hours ago.

_I am sorry for the way I treated you yesterday, it was wrong of me._

Sasuke's words echoed in her mind. Perhaps the two of them were a lot more similar than she had previously thought. As the surprising thought rolled around in her head, the pinkette heard footsteps in the corridor outside her room, gradually getting louder. Her mother.

"Sakura darling what a lovely morning it is!" Announced Duchess Haruno as she glided into the room, barely allowing her daughter time to kick her bag out of view.

"Indeed." The muffled lie was all Sakura could reply.

"I've got news for you." The woman dressed in rich burgundy continued, completely oblivious to the girl's sadness. "I'm going down to Cornwall to see your father, the coach will be here any minute. I know what you're thinking 'Why can't I come too'. You've always been close to him and I find that very endearing but I'm only going for a few weeks and I think you might have some more important things to do here."

The wink and sparkle in her mother's eyes told Sakura that she didn't know of Sasuke's abrupt return to the Americas.

"Well don't be too upset," the Duchess continued when it was clear her daughter had no response, "I've arranged for Mr. Ichiraku to take care of any needs you may have and the servants are fully prepared to provide you with gowns and dinner for guests. We might be in serious financial trouble but luckily we can still afford these necessities for now. Just think what would happen if your social life had to be put on hold! We'd be the laughing-stock of London!"

"That's great mother. Say hello to father for me. Tell him I'm sorry."

Oblivious to the tear that ran down Sakura's cheek, her mother gave her a brief hug before re-tracing her steps to the door.

"Don't be silly darling, he know's you can't come to see him now." The Duchess reassured. "I'll send you a letter when I arrive."

Leaving the room with a swish of her satin skirt, Duchess Haruno left for Cornwall before she could hear the sobs of the daughter she had firmly misunderstood.

…

With her travelling bag in one hand, now filled with everything she would need on her journey, and a pale pink parasol in the other, Sakura left the her townhouse via the back door. It had taken many tears and a lot of courage but she had finally found the courage to leave the home she'd loved since birth. However, before she left for good, there was one more place Sakura needed to go.

The little wooden barn stood in the same place as it always had. In Sakura's memorable life, it had forever been a place of comfort and friendship. However, the pinkette wasn't sure if that would be the case on this dewy morning.

Top-toeing inside, she expected to see a sandy-haired boy. Whether he would have been happy or angry to see her, she didn't know, but what she saw shocked her even more. Aside from the rolls of hay and the straw pieces that had fallen from them, the candles with wax frozen halfway down their short necks, the empty gin bottle that lay forgotten in the corner, the barn was empty. Completely empty. No blankets creased from a night's sleep, no dirty overalls hanging from the pillars, no sign of life at all. No Naruto.

Where was he? It was almost as if he'd never existed.

With a pain in her heart, Sakura left the barn, letting the heavy door fall back to its resting place behind her. There was nothing left to say. Naruto was through with her and after what she'd said last night, Sakura didn't blame him. Clearly he had left before she'd even woken up.

It was over. He didn't even say good bye.

Walking to the Port of London was out of the question. Being the largest port in the whole of the British Isles, it couldn't be built in the city centre because of the sheer amount of workers and goods that had to be stored there. Sakura couldn't steer a carriage by herself, nor could she ride a horse with her bulky bag. Just as she realised she'd have to catch a steam train, which- given the often blurry timetables- could make the young lady miss her ship, a shiny black carriage pulled up beside her.

"Good morning Miss Sakura." Called a kind voice from inside.

Sakura knew this sound very well, i was the voice of Sir Kakashi Hatake, the noble knight that had always been very friendly to the girl dressed in pink.

"Sir Kakashi, what a please to see you." She replied as the man's eyes focused on her bag. Sakura doubted he was admiring the rose and hummingbird embroidery.

"Why don't you come inside, I can take you to the station."

Sakura graciously accepted his offer and let him help her up. When she corrected his assumption that her destination was the train station, the knight gave her a questioning look.

"My apologies." He replied. "I had thought you were going to one of your family estates for a short vacation. My I ask why you are in need of a steam boat?"

The pinkeye's gaze fell to the cobbles that rushed past on the street outside. "Actually, I'm looking for someone. Someone important."

"I see." Responded a quiet voice. As Sakura looked back up to his face, she saw a hint of sadness and defeat in his ageing expressions.

"Sir Kakashi," Sakura spoke, "I will miss you."

"And I you."

A strange mutual understanding passed between the two. It must have been a stroke of luck to pass Kakashi's carriage, for- just like Sakura- he was an adventurer at heart and understood the need to follow one's heart.

"Be safe, Lady Sakura." He said as he let her out at the dock. "I hope to see you one day soon."

…

Wind whipped strands of pink hair around her face as the fog horn sounded, telling Sakura that the steam ship was leaving the docks of London. She was lucky to have bought a ticket on time; most atlantic crossing ships sailed from Liverpool but every now and again, a ship headed for New York came to the Port of London.

As the sound of seagulls yapping and the smell of sea salt filled her senses, the pinkette rested her elbows on the polished wooden hand rails and watched as her hometown glided away.

_I do not know when or even if I will ever see you again._

Once again, the raven-haired man's words drifted through Sakura's mind. They were true. She might never be able to find Sasuke out in the world she had only ever heard of in stories. But the thought that scared her even more, sending shivers down her spine, was that she didn't know if she would ever see London again either. See her mother, her father, her best friend Ino. See Naruto. The images of a life lost in the America's, unable to find a way home, were unbearable.

But she mustn't worry about that. Sakura knew that if she had any chance of completing her self-given mission, she must push all thoughts of London out of her mind.

Someone brushed passed her and found a spot on the railing that was, in Sakura's opinion, too close to her. The ship's deck really was crowded. She'd seen paintings of Liner's setting off with hundreds of people waving from the deck but until know had never realised how suffocating it could be.

the man coughed, forcing Sakura to look away. The last thing she needed now was to get a cold. When he coughed again, this time with more vigour, the pinkette pulled out her handkerchief and offered it to him, feeling somewhat sympathetic that he had to spend almost a week on this ship with a sickness.

"Hello Sakura." He said, blue eyes sparkling like the heavens above, causing Sakura to drop her silk cloth.

It was… No, it couldn't really be, could it? Could it really be Naruto?

"N-Naru- What are you doing here?" Stuttered the suddenly flustered girl.

"I came to find you."

"But why?" Sakura couldn't understand it. Last time she'd seen the blonde, he'd be furious with her. She didn't even think he would speak to her again and now… now he was leaving his home just for her? It should't be right, should it?

"You'll need me Sakura. A beautiful girl shouldn't be on her own in America, it's dangerous." As his honest words poured straight from his heart, it was clear to Sakura that he didn't despise her. Maybe he never had. "Besides," he continued, "there might be another man you have feelings for that would make you want to cross an ocean for him, but I'm not that weak. I love you, Sakura, and I'm not giving up on you. I hope one day you'll feel the same way for me as I do for you."

A smile crossed Sakura's face. She wasn't too sure why but Naruto being there, Naruto saying that, made her more happy than she'd been in a long while.

The blonde man put his arm around her, protecting her from the cold, as she looked out to the ocean ahead.

_Do not wait for me._

Like a bell, the once ominous words rang inside Sakura's head. But she wouldn't be scared of them any more.

_I will find you, Sasuke, I will do anything it takes to find you._

**A/N: Woo! The final chapter in part one is finished! I hope you've enjoyed the story so far. Will Sakura manage to find Sasuke? Will she finally fall for Naruto on the way? And what will happen in America?! There's only one way to find out ;)**

**Leave a review if you have time, I'd love to hear what you think and if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them too!**


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